GOP congressional hopeful Randy Weber gains ‘Young Gun’ status

Fifty-nine year old state Rep. Randy Weber of Pearland, the Republican candidate for the congressional seat being surrendered by retiring Rep. Ron Paul, today was designated a “Young Gun,” the top category of non-incumbent by the congressional Republicans’ campaign committee.

“Young Gun” — which does not discriminate on the basis of age — is the top tier of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s four-level recruitment program. It is named for three youthful Republican leaders who founded the “Young Gun” program during the 2007-2008 election cycle: Reps. Eric Cantor of Virginia, now House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, now House Majority Whip, and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, now Republican vice presidential candidate.

“Randy Weber has met a series of rigorous goals that will put him in position to win on Election Day,” said Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, chair of the NRCC. “Randy Weber is leading the pack as Republicans continue to send a loud and clear message that we will hold Democrats accountable for their unpopular partisan agenda.”

Weber is the founder of an air-conditioning company and was named the “most conservative” member of the Texas Legislature by the Texas Conservative Coalition. The Pearland legislator is favored in a Republican-leaning congressional district. But Lampson has painted him as a partisan extremist out of touch with the district’s moderate mainstream.